Impact fund doubled to £3m by Wigan Council to help neighbourhoods flourish

Impact fund doubled to £3m by Wigan Council to help neighbourhoods flourish

Wigan Council will double a community investment fund that is already making a big impact.

Wigan Borough received £1.5m from the government’s Pride in Place Impact Fund earlier this year, with many grassroots projects already underway.

The fund will be topped up by Wigan Council to £3m to widen its reach and back even more community-led improvements.

The investment supports the council’s Progress with Unity blueprint, particularly its ambition to make all towns and neighbourhoods flourish, while creating fair opportunities.

Leader of Wigan Council, Councillor Nazia Rehman, said: “Investing in our communities has consistently been a top priority for this council and the Impact Fund has already started to make a real difference.

“That’s why we are matching the government’s investment to create a £3m programme that will help even more communities benefit. This is a great example of local and national government working together to deliver for our residents.

“This is about much more than physical improvements. It is about backing the people, groups and organisations that make our communities so strong.”

The council’s £1.5m contribution will follow the template of the Impact Fund in focusing on quick improvements to community spaces, public spaces and high streets.

Projects in Atherton, Hindley, Worsley Mesnes, Beech Hill and Ince have either started or are due to get underway, having been identified using government set criteria and local data.

These include:

• Atherton: High Street refresh scheme, expansion plans for The Snug and an extension of the Green Grass Centre
• Hindley: Salisbury Avenue new playground, new lighting for Hindley Cenotaph, new parking for Borsdane Woods
• Worsley Mesnes: Tyrer Avenue new playground, Carr Lane shops car park resurfacing, Hawkley Hall new playground
• Beech Hill and Ince: Investing in community buildings in Beech Hill, new facilities at Beech Hill playbox, Mesnes Park pavilion improvement works and supporting two sporting clubs with new facilities

Coun Rehman added: “We have worked together with our borough’s MPs to identify projects that are important to our residents.

“This extra investment has been made possible by this council’s strong financial management and our track record of backing the strength in our communities.

“In recent years we have invested £16m into community initiatives while maintaining the lowest council tax in the north.”

The £3m fund is part of a wider programme of neighbourhood investment across the borough, complementing work through Progress with Unity, community asset investment, neighbourhood reform, Be Well and Live Well services, and community wealth building initiatives.

It sits alongside significant government Pride in Place investment already secured for the borough, including £20m for Platt Bridge and Spring View, £20m for Marsh Green and Laithwaite, and £20m for Leigh town centre, helping to deliver long-term neighbourhood renewal and opportunity across Wigan Borough.